In any other year, Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s decision to resign would have sparked a crowded Republican primary. But as one Utah GOP operative put it, this year is not like any other year.
Consultant Chuck Warren sat down with a state lawmaker Friday morning to talk about a possible run for Congress. The lawmaker pointed to a picture of his family and his home and said, “Why would I give that up to go up there and pound my head against a wall?”
Warren said gridlock in Congress, the tense political environment and the unrelenting news cycle have some of the typical contenders passing on the congressional race.
“This is the first time I’ve seen, and I’ve seen this a lot where you have an open solid red congressional seats, … that you don’t have everyone who thought about running for Congress since college throwing their that into ring,” he said.
After announcing in April that he would not seek re-election, Chaffetz signaled he might leave Congress before the end of his term next year. Last week, he followed through, announcing he would resign effective June 30.
Read the full article at Roll Call.